One reason the polarizer is so useful is that what it does is next to impossible to do in Photoshop: It suppresses unwanted reflections off of shiny objects, allowing the texture of the object itself to be seen more clearly. This can be particularly striking in making the surface of water disappear, revealing the fish, etc. below. Another one that deserves mention, and is practically indispensible for shooting landscapes, is the GRADUATED NEUTRAL DENSITY filter (Singh-Ray is the best). This darkens the sky about 2 stops (depending on which one you use), so that you not only get good color saturation in the sky (rather than burnt-out white), but also good details in the (unfiltered) shaded areas. The best landscape photog I know repeated claims that he "Lives and dies by" this filter.

A Circular polarizer is definitely Numero Uno. Cokin (and possibly other mfgrs) now make a Warm Polarizer, which is like an 81B+Polarizer. Having both in one minimizes the added risk of lens flare when using multiple filters. Diffusions filters are great for people shots, and flowers too. I also like a 6-pointed star filter to add a little "Sparkle" to highlights. As far as B&W filters, my fave is a yellow-green (#11), at least for people portraits. It heightens contrast without looking unnatural.

Okay, sounds like it ought to be as straightforward as I originally thought. I'm off to give it another shot (and THIS time, I'll check to make sure those pesky file extensions are there!) Happy Easter, guys!

What originally got me wondering about this was an ad I saw for "ShapeSnatcher", which is a plugin for Maya, I believe. It worked by using a slide with a fine calibrated grid pattern that was used to light the model when taking the picture, then the software analyzed the resultant image and generated a 3D model. I checked their site though, and found it was about $2500 (plus Maya), which is a bit out of my range. I also saw mention of another product ("realVIZ" or something like that) that used several photographs from different perspectives, on which you had to manually identify identical points on the object. And now photomodeler lite, mentioned by Kurka above. Still wondering if anyone has tried any of these, and has an opinion on whether the results are worth the trouble and/or expense...?

Thanks to all. That looks like enough to keep me busy for a while!

Composition, pose and lighting are all superb! But what's with the sticks? They make me wanna blink my eyes to clear up the view...

Would be nice to get the skin tone on the hands and arms as smooth and even as on the face. I was gonna ask if the grace of her poses was an innate talent, of the result of excellent direction, but you answered before I could ask. I'd say you've got a real "find". You/she don't live anywhere near Atlanta, do you? I'd love t o shoot her in my studio.

The reflection is definitely way cool, but I find the bright wall/window/whatever behind the black sofa somewhat distracting. Makbe you could clone the sofa all the way to the top in Photoshop...?